1. Technical Field
This application is entitled to the benefit of, and incorporates by reference essential subject matter disclosed in PCT Application No. PCT/US2012/036580 filed on May 4, 2012.
This disclosure relates generally to elevators and, more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for applying a substrate onto an elevator sheave.
2. Background Information
A typical traction elevator car drive system includes a plurality of tension members that serpentine around a plurality of sheaves (also referred to as “pulleys”), and connect a motor to an elevator car and a counterweight. During operation, the motor moves the tension members about the sheaves to lift or lower the elevator car within an elevator hoistway.
Under certain conditions, one or more of the tension members may slip against one or more of the sheaves. Buildup of relatively high shear forces between the tension members and the sheaves, for example, may cause one of the tension members to momentarily lose traction with one of the sheaves. The loss and subsequent re-establishment of traction may induce vibrations in the tension members that can produce airborne noise within the hoistway and/or structural borne noise within the drive system. One approach for reducing such noise is to condition the tension members with a conditioning agent such as, for example, wax. Such an approach, however, can be time consuming and typically must be frequently repeated.